Really pleased with what I found.........

[henrya]

Quote
Nice find! I didn't know they fell off like....
Endquote

Oh yes. They are regrown every year, generally getting larger and more elaborate year by year (unlike horns which just get bigger and bigger without dropping off). In the Neolithic flint mines at Grimes Graves in Norfolk they used Red Deer antlers to dig out the prized flint nodules. It has been estimated that they would have used between 100 and 400 antlers per shaft, and they worked one shaft per year for about four hundred years. That's a lot of antlers. I guess they were easier to find in those days!

henrya

[Jonny]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

You said they sometimes eat them when they fall off. Well, I'm surprised you haven't tried them yet! Julie

Well I had a nibble but I haven't got the teeth for it
Thanks for all the replys..........

[pet]

Hi, after viewing these posts i was thinkin i would like to make a staff myself, anybody got any tips or links on how to mount such an object on a big stick

[Jonny]

Originally Posted by pet

Hi, after viewing these posts i was thinkin i would like to make a staff myself, anybody got any tips or links on how to mount such an object on a big stick

Well, what I would, will do is to drill a hole in the base of the antler and to whittle down the top of the staff to match the diameter of the hole and then glue in in place. If going traditional, I would use pine resin, mixxed with a bit of ash and some bees wax, but I will probably use gripfil of something similar. Not sure what I am going to do with the bottom of the staff yet..........

[nightshade]

There are some good sites for stick making,this may not be one of them
http://www.sticksite.com/makestik.htmGoogle making walking sticks

[Jonny]

Originally Posted by nightshade

There are some good sites for stick making,this may not be one of them
http://www.sticksite.com/makestik.htmGoogle making walking sticks

Interesting read, cheers Nightshade.........

[pheonix]

Thats a nice find, the only ones i've found are still attacched to skulls! It would be great to find some red deer antlers, have only found a hind skull before.

....just a thought.. how would a deer eat its antlers? there bite must be stronger than i thought, antlers are impressively tough!!

[henrya]

Quote
how would a deer eat its antlers?
Endquote

It's those chisel-like front teeth in the lower jaw - sharp enough to grind away at almost anything!

henrya

[pet]

Ah nice one, i'l jot those ideas down for a future date, good one, thanks Jonny/Nightshade.